184 THE STUD. 



not too for^Yal'd — depends on the muscles behind 

 the shoulder; and the shoulder itself being set 

 well back and obliquely from its point. The 

 wither may then be as low as it pleases ; the 

 saddle will, indeed must, retain a proper place : a 

 very high wither is only in the way, and, if greatly 

 elevated, is liable to be injured by the saddle. 

 I would rather reject than select a high withered 

 horse. High-bred horses have a handsomely turned 

 wither, and that turn or curve is much longer in its 

 sweep, and goes farther back than with ordinary 

 bred horses. But we do not see well made race- 

 horses, when drawn as fine as they can be as to 

 flesh, what is termed " razor withered." The 

 reader will generally find the horse that is so, thin 

 between the rider's legs, narrow in his own chest, 

 and a weak horse. Many persons, on seeing such 

 a horse, might say, " what a fine rising shoulder he 

 has." I might probably reply, " excuse me, he 

 has a bad shoulder, and what almost amounts to a 

 deformity above it ; " and should in such a case 

 recommend a rejection of him : another horse, 

 otherwise of the same heiojht, mis^ht meu^ure two 

 inches less from the ground to the top of the 

 wither, and have a shoulder in perfection. 



Let not, therefore, the buyer reject a horse that 

 may not appear to have a rising shoulder: his 

 shoulder may be as high or higher than most 

 horses; it is only the wither that is not high. 



